Some media processing devices are configured to process media units, such as identity cards (e.g., driver's licenses or employee badges). As used herein, the term “media unit” refers to a discrete media unit. While some examples disclosed herein are described using the term “card,” a card is an example type of media unit and example methods and apparatus disclosed herein are applicable to any suitable type of media unit(s).
A media processing device processes a media unit by, for example, printing indicia onto one or more surfaces of the media unit and/or encoding the media unit with machine-readable data. After the media unit is processed, the media processing device dispenses the media unit in a manner that makes the processed media unit accessible to a user. For example, the media processing device dispenses the media unit into a cavity configured to receive and retain a plurality of media units. The cavity is defined by a structure referred to as an output hopper.